From the doorstep to the country’s economy… these 8 great women of India created history in the world of banking.

The whole world is going to celebrate International Women’s Day on 8th March. This day is not just a calendar date, but a celebration of the indomitable courage, struggle and unmatched achievements of half the population. There was a time when the world of women was considered limited to the four walls of the house. But today the picture has completely changed. From education, science, politics to the banking sector, which is considered the backbone of the country’s economy, women have shown their success. There are many women in India’s financial sector who have overcome many social challenges and structural barriers to reach the top. Let us know in detail about those 8 legendary women bankers of India, whose policies are still considered exemplary in the world of banking and who are a great inspiration for the coming generation.

1- Arundhati Bhattacharya (Former Chairperson, State Bank of India): Arundhati became the first woman to lead the country’s largest bank and Fortune 500 company (SBI). In the year 1977, at the age of just 22, he started his journey as a Probationary Officer (PO). Forbes ranked her the 25th most powerful woman in the world. Apart from being a brilliant banker, he also understood the pain of female employees. He implemented wonderful policies like two-year ‘childcare leave’ (sabbatical) for women and free cervical cancer vaccination.

2- Ranjana Kumar (Former Chairperson, NABARD): Ranjana Kumar’s journey in banking started in 1966 as a PO in Bank of India. She was the first woman to lead any public sector bank in India. When Indian Bank was drowning in huge financial losses, Ranjana Kumar took charge of it as MD and Chairperson. He brought the bank out of the crisis with his tough and precise decisions.

3- Usha Ananthsubramanian (Former CMD, Bharatiya Mahila Bank): When India’s first ‘Bharatiya Mahila Bank’ was started with the aim of financially empowering women in the country, Usha became its first chairperson. Usha, with more than 30 years of banking experience, has also been the MD and CEO of Punjab National Bank (PNB). Interestingly, he has a master’s degree in Statistics and Ancient Indian Culture.

4- Chanda Kochhar (Former CEO and MD, ICICI Bank): The credit for bringing a big change in the world of retail banking in India goes to Chanda Kochhar. He successfully led ICICI Bank, one of the largest private banks in the country. Chanda, who studied from Jai Hind College and Jamnalal Bajaj Institute, has consistently made her place in Forbes’ list of ‘100 Most Powerful Women in the World’ on the basis of her work.

5- Shikha Sharma (Former CEO and MD, Axis Bank): Shikha, who has an Economics degree from Lady Shri Ram College and MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, started her career with ICICI Bank. When he took charge of Axis Bank in 2009, he tremendously increased the market value of the bank with his exceptional leadership skills.

6- Shanthi Ekambaram (Chairman, Consumer Banking, Kotak Mahindra Bank): Shanthi Ekambaram has played a major role in giving a strong structure to the consumer banking division of Kotak Mahindra Bank. She is not only known as a great strategist, but she has also been instrumental in mentoring young women professionals and preparing them for leadership roles.

7- Naina Lal Kidwai (Former CEO, HSBC India): Naina Lal Kidwai has the distinction of being the first Indian woman to graduate from the prestigious Harvard Business School. Along with taking charge of HSBC India, she also created history by becoming the first woman President of FICCI. In view of his great contribution to business and industry, the Government of India honored him with ‘Padma Shri’.

8- Kalpana Morparia (Former CEO, JP Morgan India): Fortune magazine included her among the ’50 most powerful women’ in international business. After giving 30 years of her life to ICICI Bank, she became the CEO of JP Morgan India. Apart from being a board member of top companies like Dr. Reddy’s Labs, she has also been very active in social and philanthropic work through Bharti Foundation.